‘Old Guy’ Interview: Christoph Waltz and Lucy Liu

(L to R) Lucy Liu and Christoph Waltz in the Action/Comedy film ‘Old Guy’, a The Avenue release. Photo courtesy of The Avenue.

Opening in select theaters and on digital February 21st is the new action comedy ‘Old Guy’, which was directed by Simon West (‘Con Air’).

The movie stars two-time Oscar winner Christoph Waltz (‘Inglourious Basterds’ and ‘Django Unchained’), Lucy Liu (‘Kill Bill: Vol. 1’ and ‘Presence’), and Cooper Hoffman (‘Licorice Pizza’ and ‘Saturday Night’).

Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Christoph Waltz and Lucy Liu about their work on ‘Old Guy’, their first reactions to the screenplay, their characters, Danny and Anata’s friendship, Danny’s reluctant partnership with his replacement, and working with Cooper Hoffman.

Related Article: Lucy Liu and Chris Sullivan Talk Steven Soderbergh’s ‘Presence’

Christoph Waltz in the Action/Comedy film ‘Old Guy’, a The Avenue release. Photo courtesy of The Avenue.

Moviefone: To begin with, Christoph, what was your first reaction to the screenplay and what appealed to you about playing this character?

Christoph Waltz: Frankly, it’s been a while, so I don’t really recall my first reaction, but somewhere during the events I must have thought, “Yeah, I can do that.” I liked that he’s old and that he must deal with it. He does and that’s inspiring. I’m practicing.

MF: Lucy, what was your first reaction to the screenplay and what was your approach to playing Anata?

Lucy Liu: Well, knowing that Christoph was already connected to the movie was exciting to me. When I read the role of Anata, I really thought that she was just the right amount of condiment in the movie. They didn’t need a lot more. The amount of spice that she added and the connection that she had was enough. Because a lot of people said, “It’s a smaller role.” But I think that the relationship is really between him and Wihlborg. I liked that she was not the main event and that she came on board and was sort of the third wheel, and that it became something much deeper. I also love the idea of doing independent movies. It gets less diluted because sometimes when you’re working on a bigger movie, there’s so many people giving their thoughts and their opinions, it starts to lose what you originally read. I think Simon was able to hold onto what he had originally.

Lucy Liu in the Action/Comedy film ‘Old Guy’, a The Avenue release. Photo courtesy of The Avenue.

MF: Lucy, can you talk about Anata’s friendship with Danny and what she sees in him?

LL: I think she’s great. She’s very raw, and I think she doesn’t want to be vulnerable, but it turns out that she is, and it hurts. I think she’s passed her prime, and I think that when that gentleman says to her, “We can still go back to the hotel,” she realizes he just thinks of her as a prostitute, nothing more than that. Like a good time and it really destroys her and breaks her heart.

MF: Christoph, can you talk about Danny’s reluctant partnership with Wihlborg, who is the person sent to replace him?

CW: I can, but you won’t understand. You’re too young. The moment comes when you’re being pushed aside, and not because you’re lacking anything other than maybe muscle tone. But you have more experience, you have seen how the world works, all of that. Yet you’re being pushed aside because someone just is younger than you are, which is not a good reason. Interestingly in industry, and I hesitate to say normal society because I think that concept is going out the window, but in any case, in our lives, you see that. Sure enough, youth does have to take over sooner or later. That does not necessarily mean that the generation above must be pushed aside. Those are the reasonable arguments. The unreasonable emotional argument is, it hurts to be discarded, to be thrown on the heap with the rest of the old iron. It hurts and it’s difficult to come to terms with that hurt.

Cooper Hoffman in the Action/Comedy film ‘Old Guy’, a The Avenue release. Photo courtesy of The Avenue.

MF: Finally, Christoph, what was it like working with Cooper Hoffman?

CW: Same thing. Same thing, by the way.

“Competition is always a killer.”

R1 hr 33 minFeb 21st, 2025

An aging hitman (Christoph Waltz) is forced to train a young prodigy (Cooper Hoffman) when his employer moves to replace the old guard. But when they learn they… Read the Plot

What is the plot of ‘Old Guy’?

An aging assassin (Christoph Waltz ) is teamed up by his boss with a younger, brasher killer (Cooper Hoffman) to ostensibly train him, but suspects that he’s ultimately going to be ‘retired’ by his prodigal partner. The two must work together to stay alive, however, when they’re betrayed from within the company itself.

Who is in the cast of ‘Old Guy’?

Director Simon West behind the scenes on the set of the Action/Comedy film ‘Old Guy’, a The Avenue release. Photo courtesy of The Avenue.

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